TAMPA, Fla. — If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend (April 19-21), there's plenty of action happening around the Tampa Bay area.
Friday, April 19
When: April 12-28
Where: Pier 60, Clearwater Beach
Cost: $10 General Admission
Info: Featuring world-class sculptors and 1,000 tons of sand, the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival begins next week on Clearwater Beach! This 17-day celebration will transform America’s No. 1 Beach into an artistic paradise April 12-28. This year's theme, A Journey Around the Globe, will feature immaculate sculptures of renowned destinations and prominent landmarks from around the world.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
When: April 19-21
Where: Tropicana Field at 1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg
Cost: $20
Info: The Tampa Bay Rays will host the Boston Red Sox for a weekend series at Tropicana Field. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. on Friday.
Ride Tigris - Florida's Tallest Launch Coaster
When: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Where: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay at 10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa
Cost: Click here for ticket information
Info: Florida's tallest launch coaster will celebrate its Grand Opening on April 19 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! The triple-launch steel coaster called “Tigris” will catapult riders through an exhilarating array of looping twists with forward and backward motion, breath-taking drops, a 150-foot skyward surge, and an inverted heartline roll, all at more than 60 miles per hour.
St. Pete Wing & Craft Beer Fest
When: 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Where: Albert Whitted Park at 480 Bayshore Dr SE, St. Petersburg
Cost: Free Admission
Info: Bring your appetite to Albert Whitted Park for this food truck rally featuring chicken wings and craft beer! From 6 – 11 p.m., more than 15 food trucks will be dishing out special chicken wings and chicken inspired dishes as well as their normal cuisine. Live music, beer, and craft vendors. This event is free admission and family and pet friendly.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Ruth Eckerd Hall 1111 McMullen Booth Rd, Clearwater
Cost: $49
Info: Dennis DeYoung, a founding member of STYX, lead singer and writer on seven of the band’s eight top 10 hits, and his co-headliner, the multi-platinum selling rock band Night Ranger return to Ruth Eckerd Hall to share the bill for the first time in over a decade! You won’t want to miss this legendary night of classic rock hits!
When: 8 p.m.
Where: The Capitol Theatre at 405 Cleveland St, Clearwater
Cost: $55
Info: Multi-platinum selling grunge and alternative rock band Collective Soul will bring lots of guitars and attitude when they return to the Capitol Theatre. The band broke into mainstream popularity when they rose to international fame in 1993 with the rock anthem “Shine”. The quintet has been making music for more than two decades since then and has a catalog of #1 hits under their belts including “December”, “The World I Know”, “Precious Declaration”, “Run”, “Heavy” and “How Do You Love”.
Saturday, April 20
Movies in the Park: Peter Rabbit
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Water Works Park Tampa 1710 N Highland Ave, Tampa
Cost: Free
Info: Enjoy a free movie showing of 'Peter Rabbit' at Water Works Park in Downtown Tampa. Popcorn, candy and cold drinks will be available for purchase. Make sure to bring a blanket or chair!
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Ruth Eckerd Hall 1111 at McMullen Booth Rd, Clearwater
Cost: $38.75
Info: Comedian, actor, producer & writer Ken Jeong makes his way to Clearwater for his Ruth Eckerd Hall debut. Since his feature film debut playing the doctor in Knocked Up, Jeong has gone on to star in a number of memorable roles in a series of successful comedies. Known for his scene stealing abilities, the top comedic star appeared as the Asian-mobster “Mr. Chow” in the sleeper-hit comedy The Hangover, which earned him an MTV Movie Award, and its sequels The Hangover Part II & Part III. Jeong returns to his stand-up roots for his first-ever stand-up Netflix special You Complete Me, Ho which was released on Thursday, February 14th.
Intergalactic Disco| Pride & Passion
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: Tampa Museum of Art at 120 Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa
Cost: $100
Info: The LGBTQ community and their allies will celebrate diversity in the universe with a phenomenal interstellar affair to raise funds for educational programs at The Tampa Museum of Art. They will transform the museum into “Area 54,” an inclusive playground for the remarkable beings that make up the cosmic kaleidoscope of our very own dazzling community. Let your imagination take you out of this world as you boogie the night away under shimmering celestial bodies, and immerse yourself in the era that revered creativity & fantasy with its glamorous dance parties & daring fashion.
Dinner Under the Stars at Fort Foster
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hillsborough River State Park at 15402 US-301, Thonotosassa
Cost: $25
Info: Dine under the stars like an 1830’s military officer and mingle with the troops from inside the walls of Historic Fort Foster at this pre-1840’s living history event and dinner. Once at the historic site, park staff will lead the group through the grand doors and protective walls of the fort where they will enjoy a candle lit tour of the officers’ quarters, infirmary, and quarter masters’ supply room. Once seated, and with no distractions of the modern world, guests will take in the smell and sight of this gourmet food and will be immersed in Florida history that few experience. After dinner and dessert you will have the luxury of roaming the quite historic fort grounds and view live black powder weapon firings before being transported back to the park and the modern day.
Sunday, April 21
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Tampa Theatre at 711 North Franklin Street, Tampa
Cost: $10
Info: How many Floridians haven’t heard this story already? Get ready to have those heart-strings tugged. Inspired by the real life of Winter, celebrity dolphin and de facto mascot of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Dolphin Tale tells the story of Sawyer, a boy who happens to help rescue a dolphin tangled in the line of a crab trap and badly injured. Filmed mostly in Pinellas County, Dolphin Tale is a homespun and uplifting story of how you can help yourself by making room in your life to help someone else, too, even if “someone else” is a large-brained mammal of a slightly different type.
Related: Easter events around Tampa Bay this weekend
--------
